Happy Birthday to legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor, who turns 69 on Sunday (March 12th)!!! Taylor and Bonnie Raitt have just announced the full itinerary of their summer tour together. The pair had previously announced ball field shows at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Wrigley Field in Chicago, Fenway Park in Boston, and Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. As it stands now, the trek will begin on July 6th at Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center and wrap on August 11th at Boston's Fenway Park.
James Taylor will forever be remembered for his string of classic hits, including "Fire And Rain," "Sweet Baby James," "You've Got A Friend," "Up On The Roof," "You Can Close Your Eyes," "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," "Handy Man," "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)," "Mockingbird," "Mexico," "Shower The People" "Her Town Too," "Your Smiling Face," and "Carolina In My Mind," among many more. In 2015, Taylor enjoyed his first ever Number One album with the release of his latest collection, Before This World.
Taylor was one of the driving forces behind the early-'70s singer-songwriter era and admits that's he's still comfortable writing about his life: ["That's the kind of work I do. I mean, sometimes, I've felt, y'know, that I wish I wasn't so, uh, sort of personal or confessional. But that just seems to be the kind of stuff I write."]
- He told us that despite the pressures of the music business, he's never felt any competition with his peers, or himself, when writing or recording new music: ["It's impossible not to sort of think about your position when you've finished an album and you're releasing it, and trying to promote it and announce it and stuff. It's hard not to think of it in the marketplace. But for me, it's not a competitive sport, y'know, and you just have to do your best and then let go of the result -- and just be thankful to be able to continue."]
- Taylor recalled being among one of the first signings to Apple Records as a dream come true: ["Well, I was signed by the Beatles in 1968 to their Apple Records label. I was a huge Beatles fan -- they had a massive impact on me and what I thought I'd like to write."]
- James Taylor and Elton John kick off a six-date South American run on March 31st in Curitiba, Brazil.
- James Taylor & Bonnie Raitt tour dates (subject to change):
- July 3, 4 - Lenox, MA - Koussevitzky Music Shed (James Taylor only)
- July 6 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
- July 7 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell Health At Jones Beach Theater
- July 9 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
- July 11 - Duluth, GA - Infinite Energy Center
- July 12 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
- July 14 - Washington, D.C. - Nationals Park
- July 15 - Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena
- July 17 - Chicago, IL - Wrigley FieldJuly 29 - San Francisco, CA - AT&T Park
- July 31 - Frisco, TX - Ford Center At The Star
- August 1 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
- August 3 - New Orleans, LA - Smoothie King Center
- August 5 - Memphis, YN - FedExForum
- August 6 - Louisville, KY - KFC Yum! Center
- August 8 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
- August 9 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
- August 11 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park
CHECK IT OUT: James Taylor performing "Sweet Baby James" as featured in 2007's One Man Band DVD: